For the end of the year feasts, why expand the range of your table with something Latin, spicy, and actually very healthy. Carrots are a super food that we just don’t see on restaurant menus or often put on our home dinner plates. Frozen food manufacturers try to get you in a carrot mood by drowning them in butter sauce. If you defrost one of those packets and take a bite or two, you make a major discovery: there can be too much butter. There’s a better way to sample the lovely flavors that only carrots can provide, a way that is fast and very nutritious.
Traditionally, mole means sauce in Mexican cooking. And this carrot mole — from Healthy Latin Eating by Angie Martinez and Angelo Sosa — can be just that: a sauce to adorn grilled meats or a roasted turkey.
But if you make this and are careful not to let it become too fluid, it can be an intense side dish offering carrot and chile notes complete with the snap of toasted pumpkin seeds. If you are carrot shy, then you would be surprised what some chipotle, onion, spices and a blender can create.
This is a simple dish to whip up in your kitchen, but, as you can see from the picture taken from the book, it has great visual impact. This carrot moel might be a “side” dish on your holiday table, but it will be sure to attract everyone’s eye.
Suzen and I will be making this during the coming days. We know that, coming from author and Chef Angelo Sosa, it’s a recipe you can trust. And surely enjoy.
Carrot Mole with Toasted Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette
Yield: serves 2-4
Ingredients:
Pepita Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons raw green pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped mint leaves, to sprinkle
Carrot Mole:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
- ½ cinnamon stick
- ½ fresh nutmeg, grated
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Kosher salt
Preparation:
In a small pan over low heat, lightly toast the pumpkin seeds for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl with the remaining vinaigrette ingredients. Stir together and set aside.
In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, coriander, chipotle powder, and sesame seeds. Cook until the onions are tender and the spices are aromatic, 5 to 7 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, add the carrots and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the stock and sugar, and cook until the carrots are completely tender, about 10 minutes more. Place in a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt.
Transfer the mole to a serving bowl and drizzle the vinaigrette on top. Serve with grilled meat, lettuce leaves or chips.
Source: Healthy Latin Eating by Angie Martinez and Angelo Sosa [Kyle, 2015]